1 For many years, people were awed by the tallest building in the world. It was the Empire State Building in New York City. Movies were made using the Empire State Building as part of the scene. The original King Kong featured the ape hanging from the highest spire of the Empire State Building with his lady love. Space for offices becomes harder to find as population grows. Many builders used building up as the solution to the problems of space. Taller buildings than the Empire State Building were built over the years.2 In the 1950s and 1960s, Sears Roebuck and Company became the largest retail store in the world. Everyone flocked to the nearest Sears store for their shopping needs. If they couldn't make it to the store, they dusted off their Sears catalogue and ordered what they wanted by phone. At its peak, Sears employed about 350,000 people. The management of Sears wanted an easier way to manage their thriving business. They decided to bring the majority of their office employees under one roof. In 1969, after much discussion, they decided to build a new Sears office building near the famous Chicago Loop.3 Much thought was put into the planning of this new building. Economists predicted that the retail market would continue to grow. Sears wanted to be ready for this growth. They wanted a building that they could grow into. The more they planned, the taller the building grew. In the early 1970s, the World Trade Center was being built in New York City. It was going to become the world's tallest building by the time it was completed. The plans for the Sears Tower quickly surpassed the final Trade Center.